American Teen Says The NYPD Paid Him To Trick Muslims Into Looking Like Terrorists

In this photo, Shamiur Rahman sits with Siraj WahhajVia The Associated PressA 19-year-old American man told the Associated Press the NYPD paid him to collect names of John Jay College students studying Islam and trick Muslims into saying incriminating things.

Shamiur Rahman, who's of Bengali descent, gave the AP a whole host of incriminating statements against the NYPD, which the news organization backed up with Rahman's text messages and cellphone records.

The entire AP story is worth a read but here are some of the most damning claims:

Rahman says he earned up to $1,000 a month for ratting out the Muslim community.

The department allegedly said its strategy was "create and capture" meaning Rahman was supposed to create a conversation about Jihad or terrorism and send the suspect's response to the NYPD.

He monitored the Muslim Student Association at John Jay College, reported on the group's meetings, friended group members on Facebook, and recorded the meetings.

But the worst claim is when Rahman admitted he "misinterpreted what people had said. For example, Rahman said he would ask people what they thought about the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya, knowing the subject was inflammatory. It was easy to take statements out of context, he said."

Rahman stopped working for the NYPD earlier this year and told the AP he plans to move to the Caribbean.

The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request from Business Insider for comment on Tuesday.